Controversies in Science/Are humans causing global warming/A critique of A CRITIQUE OF A METHOD TO DETERMINE LONG-TERM DECLINE OF CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS

(Review Paper) Cited in

Coral Reef Depletion is NOT caused by Global Warming
People have linked the depletion of the Great Barrier Reef to Global Warming. Research done by PANS, claims that the Great Barrier Reef is 28-36% extinct due to Global Warming. This statistic is exaggerated due to inaccurate mathematic calculations. Other research shows different causes to depletion of Barrier Reefs.

Methods
Ecosystems on the coral reef and amount of time between reef depletion stages are inaccurately displayed by the research conducted by PANS. Reefs are generally populated with various guilds (or life on the Great Barrier Reef), such as large and small herbivores, large and small carnivores, corals, suspension feeders, and seagrasses. The research claims that guilds on the Great Barrier Reef are of equal depletion value, or weight, this in fact is not the case. These guilds each have varying effects on the Barrier Reef.

The research also states that there are 5 stages of ecological depletion; pristine, abundant, depleted, rare, extinct. They claim that the time between each stage is equal to the next and is linked to Global Warming. More in-depth research shows that the time between each stage is varied and skews the conclusion of Global Warming being the only reason for reef depletion. This is shown by weighting statistics.

The scale in which they used to measure was not valid, causing distorted results of the condition of the reefs.

Results
Each guild has a different effect on the Barrier Reef and these guilds are of varying populations. While the inaccurate research shows that each of the seven guilds cause equal in-habitation impact a 1/7 ratio is to be inferred, or a 14% impact. This ratio includes the coral itself, how can coral endanger itself? Further research states this ratio to be inaccurate as we only have six contributing damaging guilds. The actuality is that ecological damage due to large and small herbivores account for 35%, large and small carnivores account for 10%, seagrasses account for 2%, and suspension feeders account for 3%. Given the variation of guild effects they are causing more damage than implied by PANS research.